Science and religion appear to offer the only explanations for how the world came to be. Science starts with the Big Bang, moves to galaxy formation, planets, and then life, at which point evolution begins.Many religions point to the Book of Genesis as telling the secret of how the world began. Science rejects supernaturnal causes; religion relies upon them. This week’s guest, Solomon Huriash (http://landpublishing.com/), author of the book, Why Human Beings Do Not Need Blind Faith to Believe in God (http://www.amazon.com/Human-Beings-Blind-Believe-Creationism/dp/0961809841'), argues that Genesis predicts future scientific findings, which shows the Bible is divinely inspired. But is it necessary to reconcile the Bible with science to find truth in this old text? On this show, host Philip Mereton puts Professor Huriash on the spot to explain the basis of the creationist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationism)position and whether, given the changing nature of scientific theory, reconciling Genesis with science is either necessary or wise.

The 2012 Presidential election presents many contrasts: tax policy; health care; foreign policy; abortion -- and religion. Barack Obama practices a form of a rationalist Christianity inspired by the African-American church; Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and would be the first person of that faith elected to the Presidency. If nothing else, this sharp contrast in religious affliations will add a spiritual tone to the election, while also bringing Mormonism more sharply before the public eye. In his book, God in the Obama Era (http://www.amazon.com/God-The-Obama-Era-Presidents/dp/1600376460), this week's guest, Niels C. Nielson, discusses how the religious beliefs of the great presidents, from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, to Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, guided their thinking on history-changing decisions. At the same time, the U.S. Constitution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Establishment_Clause)guarantees freedom of religion and establishes the separation of religion and government. So, in the end, should religion play a factor in who we elect as the next president? Listen in for a wide-ranging conversation between host Philip Mereton and Professor Nielson as they answer this important question.

A quantum leap describes the odd way in which an electron jumps between orbits around an atomic nucleus without ever occupying the space between the orbits. But these leaps do not only occur at the atomic level. Springing to a new physical state also describes leaps of creativity, where the mind arrives at a new destination as if by magic. This week’s guest, James J. Mapes (http://jamesmapes.com/), is a clinical hypnotist, actor, international public speaker, and author of Quantum Leap Thinking: An Owner's Guide to the Mind (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Leap-Thinking-Owners-Guide/dp/1402200439). On this show, he engages host, Philip Mereton, in a wide-ranging conversation about improving life, and offers a a wealth of practical, useful tips for tapping the power of the subconscious mind and helping us take the leap to our full potential.

By most measures, the world of humankind is not in great shape. Civil wars; starvation; religious strife; homelessness; environmental threats; mass murders; individual and corporate greed; the list goes on. In some ways, we seem to have let our lower nature, our "animal ways," dominate our spiritual or higher selves. In his book, Human Natures, Of Animal and Spiritual (http://www.amazon.com/Human-Natures-Carroll-Blair/dp/193643007X), this week's guest Carroll Blair (mailto:[email protected]), offers a collection of short narratives and aphorisms pointing out the universal need to tap our inner potential to rise above this animal nature and evolve into spiritual beings with unlimited potential, infinite minds. This course of action, he believes, is the only way to save us from disaster. Also on this show, host Philip Mereton, talks to the founders of the organization, Science and Non-Duality (http://www.scienceandnonduality.com/), Maurizio Benazzo and Zaya. This group is leading the way towards integrating the findings of science with the revelations of spirit.

Scientific theories tell stories. In science's current materialistic story, we play the part of "survival machines," programmed to replicate genes and pass them onto our offspring. Quantum theory, as interpreted by this week's guest (appearing live), renown quantum physicist, Dr. Amit Goswami (http://www.amitgoswami.org/), tells a different story. Consciousness, Dr. Goswami teaches, must ultimately choose among the possible states of quantum reality. This means, in more basic terms, that we can freely choose to make the world a better place. In his most recent book, How Quantum Activism Can Save Civilization (http://www.amazon.com/How-Quantum-Activism-Save-Civilization/dp/1571746374), Dr. Goswami brings quantum theory into the streets, as he argues that we should use the the findings of quantum theory to create social change, and alter the storyline of scientific materialism.

The scientific, "show-me" mindset of the U.S. may think of yoga only as an assortment of body positions. But yoga is a far richer subject. Its goal is to harmonize body, mind, and spirit with the outer world, to unite the whole being with a universal consciousness. In her new book, The Tenth Door: An Adventure Through the Jungles of Enlightenment, (http://www.amazon.com/The-Tenth-Door-Adventure-Enlightenment/dp/1937110192) this week’s guest, Michele Hebert (http://www.rajayogis.net/), tells of her own journey from a midwestern upbringing in Cleveland to studying under renowned Yogi Raj, Walt Baptiste, to long stays in the jungles of El Salvador. In her worldly travels she underwent a deeper spiritual journey, as she learned how yoga helps one gain mastery over the whole Self, and control the thoughts that determine our futures.

Our current mindset is in deep conflict: most people believe in the reality of the paranormal, but modern science says it's all make-believe, if not a fraud. Meanwhile, since the late 19th century, paranormal researchers, using the methods of science, have built an impressive case supporting the reality of psychic phenomena (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parapsychology). It would seem that something has to give. Why is it so hard to change the scientific mind? On this show, the former president of the Society for Psychical Research (http://www.spr.ac.uk/main/), John Poynton (http://www.amazon.com/New-Creation-John-Poynton/dp/1920535195), and Guy Lyon Playfair, a long-standing member of the Council for the society, join host Philip Mereton in discussions over the challenges facing paranormal researchers in gaining the long-sought-after acceptance by the scientific community, and the methods that might work in breaking free from the iron rule of the mechanistic regime.

In 1993, Noble prize-winning physicist, Leon Lederman, published a book entitled, The God Particle (http://www.amazon.com/God-Particle-Universe-Answer-Question/dp/0618711686/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342057927&sr=1-1&keywords=god+particle+lederman). The book was about a particle, hypothesized most prominently by Peter Higgs, which is associated with a field that permeates the universe and gives mass to the elementary particles in the Standard Model of particle physics. On July 4, 2012, physicists working at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, the world's largest particle accelerator, announced they had discovered signs of a new particle that looks an "awful lot like the long sought after" (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=higgs-cern-lhc-discovery)Higgs particle. So does this mean that the secret to the universe has now been revealed and that with the God particle in its sights, there is nothing left for particle physics to discover? Or does this discovery simply convert the mystery of particle mass into the mystery of the properties of the Higgs field? Learn what the Higgs particle really is and what the recent discovery really means in this episode, where host Philip Mereton talks with John Gunion, Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of California at Davis, and co-author of the The Higgs Hunter's Guide (http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Higgs_Hunter_s_Guide.html?id=M5moXN_SA-MC).

We are conditioned to look at the world as if we are physical beings; spiritual experiences become outliers filled with mystery: how did life arise from the dust; consciousness from the brain; or spirit from the heavens? Are we separate creatures forever disconnected from each other? In his book, The Phenomenon of Man (http://www.amazon.com/Phenomenon-Man-Pierre-Teilhard-Chardin/dp/0061632651/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341543629&sr=1-1&keywords=phenomenon+of+man), French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said that we have it backwards: we are really spiritual beings having a physical experience. On this show, we proceed as if Chardin was right. Joining Philip Mereton from South Africa is Anthon St. Maarten (http://www.anthonstmaarten.com/), author of the new book, Divine Living: The Essential Guide to Your True Destiny (http://www.divinelivingbook.com/), which explores the consequences for all of us if we are actually spiritual beings on a physical journey.

The famous American transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson (http://transcendentalism.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/), wrote that "the whole of nature is a metaphor of the human mind." Maybe he was right. Sources as diverse as the holy scriptures and modern cosmology tell stories of how the universe began, how it will end, and how it may rise again. But perhaps these sources are telling the same story from different perspectives. On this show, Caer Hallunbaek (http://prn.fm/hosts/spiritual-hosts/caer-hallundbaek/#axzz1z8rBmbYb), founding director of the Godspeed Institute (http://godspeedinstitute.com/)and host of the radio show by the same name, talks with host Philip Mereton about how a star's death inspired her to adopt a spiritual view of the cosmos, and how science and spirituality are not distinct disciplines, but opposite sides of the same coin.